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Easy Tile Grout Cleaning

The grout to the left and lower left of the bottle of Stain Solver oxygen bleach used to be dark gray and filthy as you see on the right side of the photo. It just took a few minutes of soaking and a little scrubbing to get these dramatic results. CLICK THE IMAGE NOW TO ORDER STAIN SOLVER. (C) Copyright 2017 Tim Carter

Tile Grout Cleaning TIPS

DEAR TIM: I’ve tried tile grout cleaning on the floors of my home with little success. The grout just doesn’t come clean. The tiles themselves don’t look like they used to even though I’m using those newer pad-cleaner contraptions.

Is there a miracle method that you know of for cleaning ceramic tile grout? Have you had this problem in your own home? Judith P., Forest Park, IL

DEAR JUDITH: Tile and grout cleaning was the bane of my existence for years at the last house I built for my family. When I built that home, my lovely wife selected a pure-white tile for our kitchen with a light gray grout.

WARNING: Kitchens and Light Grout

I warned her the grout would turn black, but my pleas for mercy fell on deaf ears. To this day, she says it was my idea.

As it turns out, the grout did turn nearly black, especially around the refrigerator and sink, no matter how hard I tried to clean it.

Dirt Soaks Into Grout

It became crystal clear what the issue was one day when I decided to really scrub the grout. Small particles of dirt on the floor were getting dissolved in water that was spilled on the tile.

This dirty water then soaked into the grout just out of reach of the bristles of the scrub brush. This was compounded by spills of liquids like red wine, cranberry juice, iced tea, deep-purple grape juice, etc.

Colored Liquids Stain Too

Any colored liquid that came into contact with the grout soaked into the sanded grout just like it would a sponge.

Pads are Useless

Regular soaps seemed powerless as well as tile and grout cleaning equipment that I rented. I can see why you’re having trouble with the pad cleaning tools as I’m convinced that these get up some of the dirt, but they leave dirt behind if the pads are not changed with great regularity.

The smooth pads are powerless to remove dirt from the grout because in most cases they never even touch the grout. Look closely at a tile floor and you’ll quickly see the grout is almost always recessed lower than the surface of the tile.

The pads just float over the grout never touching it.

Magic Stain Solver

Stain Solver is MADE in the USA with USA ingredients that are food-grade quality. CLICK THE IMAGE to order some NOW.

My tile & grout cleaning problems disappeared about years ago while I was researching how to properly seal and clean a deck. I interviewed a chemist who exposed me to a product I had never heard of - oxygen bleach.

This product is a powder mixed with warm tap water. The instant this happens, billions of oxygen ions are released into the solution.

These oxygen ions attack dirt and stain molecules blasting them apart. When this happens, they lose their ability to absorb light and the stains disappear.

Not only do they do this on wood decks, but this magic cleaning action happens on anything that’s water washable.

I discovered it works to remove algae, tough laundry stains, oil stains from car carpets, normal indoor carpet stains, and it de-odorizes too. It was indeed magic!

Sell It

Once I saw what it could do, I decided to start selling it myself. Kathy and I came up with the name Stain Solver because it solved every type of stain.

Mix, Stir & Pour

I tried some of this product and couldn’t believe what I saw. Following the instructions given to me by the chemist, I mixed the powder with hot water and stirred it until it dissolved.

I then poured this solution on the tile floor in my kitchen making sure the grout was completely saturated and covered with the clear solution. Then I walked away for 15 minutes allowing the oxygen ions to work on their own.

Grout & Tile Cleaning Video

Watch this video to see how powerful Stain Solver is. This is the exact process I did all those years ago to clean my kitchen floor.

I guarantee you'll get your floor tile grout as clean as mine. The trick is to mix it right and allow the solution to soak for 15, or more, minutes before you scrub. The longer you let it soak and work the LESS you have to scrub.

Let It Soak Then Scrub

After the wait period, I had to add some additional solution where it had soaked into the tile grout. I then used a stiff scrub brush and ran the brush along the grout lines between the tiles.

With almost no effort, the tile grout looked like new. When the chemist told me this would happen on the phone, I didn’t believe him. It sure pays to have an open mind!

Chlorine = TOXIC

You can get nearly the same results using chlorine bleach, but there are some disadvantages using this harsh toxic chemical. First and foremost, the fumes are powerful and make many feel uneasy.

The chlorine bleach is so strong that it can ruin the pigments in some colored floor grouts. If you splash the chlorine bleach on adjacent surfaces like cabinets or carpeting, it can take the color out of them. It’s a tough cleaner to work with.

Never Scrub Again!

Once my tile and grout were clean, I discovered a way to keep them looking that way. I hated getting on my knees to scrub and didn’t want to do that ever again.

One day, I decided to use the oxygen bleach powder in the mop water. I mopped the floor like normal, but instead of rinsing the floor right away, I let the cleaning solution soak on the floor for about 15 minutes.

I discovered if the grout is just lightly soiled, the dirt has not yet soaked into the grout. It didn't take long for the mop-water solution to attack the dirt on the surface and that which had penetrated into the grout.

My kitchen floor looked like new every week. The best part is the squabbles with my wife stopped and both of us had smiles on our faces. The old saying "happy wife / happy life" is true especially when the kitchen floor sparkles.

Some other oxygen bleaches are available at retail stores for less money.

IMPORTANT BUYING TIP: The quality of the different oxygen bleaches varies to a great degree. Some big-name national-brands contain ingredients from offshore. They're not certified organic. They may trick you with language that makes you think they were Made in the USA, when in fact, they were packaged in the USA with offshore ingredients.

Not all of the products have the same amount of active ingredient. You’ll discover products that may have more filler in them than oxygen bleach. It pays to do research to get a product you can trust and really works well.

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42 Responses to Easy Tile Grout Cleaning

I was wondering if you could tell me how to apply to stain solver mixture to walls. I see where it sits level on the floor, but if I put it on walls wouldn't it just run off? Any help would be appreciated

Tim - are you talking about the produst called "Oxy Clean" when you say to use OXYGEN BLEACH to clean tile grout?? If not, then what exactly did you use, and where did you get it? Thanks, Patty of the dirty grout house!

Patty, NOPE!!! That product you mention is made with Chinese ingredients and I believe it has more filler that active ingredient. You want my Stain Solver!!!! It's made in the USA with USA ingredients. It's the strongest oxygen bleach I'm aware of.

Hi! In was just wondering if the oxygen bleach, bleaches the clothes you're wearing? Reason I'm asking is in have 4 little kids and want to know whether I should try and do this at night while they're sleeping so no mishaps happen:) Thanks!

Liz, How do you get $40?????? It's $24.97 for 2.2 pounds and that includes FREE SHIPPING. It's so highly concentrated that you'll discover it's far less expensive to use it than the ineffective cleaners you probably purchase at the grocery store.

Yes. My Stain Solver WILL remove dried blood. I need to tell murder mystery authors about it. The key is to mix it up one-half cup to a gallon of warm water. Stir until dissolved. Allow solution to get to room temperature. Then pour solution onto the dried blood stain and let sit for an hour or more. If it soaks in, add more solution. At the end of the hour, scrub.

No. If I ever said that somewhere, it's an error. You only need 1/2 cup for interior periodic mopping. I'd use one cup for a VERY DIRTY floor with VERY DIRTY grout, but once clean you don't need it that strong.

Tim help I was putting grout on tile I had put on my wall for a back splash. When I got a call with an emergency and I had to leave. Is there anyway to get the grout off the tiles since I had not sponged them clean before rushing out the door!

Tim, since you are a builder, I would like to pass on an expert tip of my own. When installing new tiles, Installing new tiles, especially in
areas where there is a lot of water such as in your shower and next to the bath or around your bath, insist that the tile adhesive and grout be mixed with bonding liquid. Yes, it is right, this will add to the cost, but it will reduce a whole lot of frustration later. The bonding liquid seals the tile adhesive and makes it waterproof. It also seals the grout which is a porous material. Although there should be waterproofing under the tiles in the shower, the bonding liquid is a second barrier that will reduce the risk of any water seeping through. I have done the for all my tiles - even those where no water is involved, and my grout stays clean, and cleans easily. Kind regards, Annemarie

Stain Solver has a nearly indefinite shelf life after opening IF you keep it cold, or even frozen. Heat is what degrades it. So just keep the container tightly sealed and pop it in your refrigerator. Make sure no one eats it or sprinkles it on ice cream. 😉 Tim Carter / Founder StainSolver.com

Hi Tim,
I have an outdoor terracotta table in my holiday home in Spain made with cut stone and light coloured grout. When I purchased it I applied a matte sealer in a thin coat on the surface. When I returned 3 months later the grout in a few areas had darkened.

1. Will the fact that I previously applied a sealer prevent your product from penetrating and cleaning the darkened grout areas?
2. If so is there a way I can remove the sealer before I apply your product?
3. Will your product change the colour of my multi coloured terracotta stone?

Stain Solver - and ANY cleaner - will have a tough time going through the sealer. It may have to be stripped off with a commercial floor-wax liquid. Stain Solver should not change the color of any tile or terracotta as the color is locked in during the firing process in the kiln. But it's ALWAYS best to do a small test mixing up some solution and applying a drop with a cotton swab.